Turning of Pages

What a typically afternoon looks like right now.

Dear Readers,

How are you? I’m well. Currently, I’m sitting in my kitchen waiting to slowly indulge on a bowl of strawberries all by myself. It is almost three in the afternoon and I’m coming to the conclusion there would be no better time for a nap. Oh how I hope that my carefree and stress less days can turn my grey hairs back to brown.

Today is another beautiful day in Ukraine. I hope the weather continues to bless me with mid 80s temperatures and a cool breeze. The clouds are friendly, cotton candy looking ones that seem to say hello and keep floating by with no threat of showers. I lose many hours by sitting in this wonderful weather on my balcony, because I lose track of time as well as the count of interesting Ukrainians that stroll one story below.


The Rivne crew that showed me around the neighboring city.

When the night finally creeps up on the average summer day well after nine o’clock, I continue with my marathon of West Wing episodes. Democrat or Republican you have to admit it is some pretty great writing as well as performing. My favorite character has remained C.J Cregg. She is intelligent as well as witty, but I enjoy the most how she towers over most of the men on the show at six feet tall. Woot woot for tall girls! I’m currently only in season two out of seven and have previously seen all the seasons, but I still enjoy passing forty three minutes with Leo, Josh, Sam, Toby, Donna, Charlie, C.J., and President Barlett.

This is officially the second week of summer and I have to remind myself to enjoy the laid back month of June, because soon enough summer will become a sprint to mid-September. Late June, I’ll head to Crimea for ten days to work a camp along the Black Sea. Beginning of July, I’ll have two friends coming to visit that I’m excited about. After playing tour guide, I’ll head back to the coast, but this time to Odessa to work in another camp for three weeks. Then back to Kivertsi before heading off to visit Turkey, Bulgeria, and Romania with two of my closest Peace Corps friends.


Wish we had more public art in the states that was this cool.

Upon returning, I’ll have only a couple days before Close of Service Peace Corps conference. It is a few days at a lodge where PCVs from my group will learn and start to fill out as much paper work that was required to get in to be able to finish this experience. Then if all goes as planned, I’ll be headed to Kyiv to pick up my pops for his little under two week tour of Ukraine. I hope he practices his arrival with pig fat and multiple shots of vodka. As soon as my pops is on a plane homebound, I’ll have exactly two and half weeks to get serious about the GRE.

Now as I’m getting a little stir crazy with the second week of no real schedule, I’m trying to remind myself it will eventually pick up and fly. How many times have I rubbed my ears and said ‘woosah’ after getting anxious about grad school applications and post Peace Corps plans? Too many to count. Well I better wrap up this up before a) falling asleep at the computer b) I get strawberry juice on my computer or c) my battery life dies.


Picnic on Val's drive...Mmmmmmexican!

I hope everyone is well. Know that I miss you all and especially when days are slow do I wish you weren’t so far and that dropping in for an afternoon of chit chat was possible. Miss and love you all.

Kate

PS If you have any questions or things you would like to ask about Ukraine and my Peace Corps experience feel free to post it. God knows I have the time to get back to you.


The strawberries and the book that I plan to consume right...now.